UK games outfit Sumo Group has acquired Bristol-based Auroch Digital for $8.3 million (£6 million).

A further amount may be payable dependent on the studio’s performance by 2024.

Auroch Digital was founded in 2010 and focuses on strategy and management titles, along with adaptations of board games into digital games, and currently has 48 staff.

The studio is best known for the development of Mars Horizon, Chainsaw Warrior and Last Days of Old Earth.

The acquisition will strengthen Sumo’s publishing capacity and consider Auroch a complimentary dev team to support the company’s recently launched publishing arm, Secret Mode.

Following the acquisition, Auroch will continue to be led by founder and studio director Tomas Rawlings.

"Shared desire"

"We're really excited to be joining the Sumo Group family. We share so many values and Sumo will be a good home for us," said Rawlings.

"We have a shared desire always to improve the quality and depth of the games we make, a commitment to being a positive and respectful workplace, a desire to invest in new talent, and a shared wish to make a lot of fun, engagement and gameplay for all. Auroch Digital joining Sumo Group really is the natural next step in our journey and we're really excited to be taking it together."

Sumo Group CEO Carl Cavers commented: "I'm delighted to welcome Tomas and the Auroch Digital team to the Group. Given our increasing focus on Own-IP, we are particularly excited by Auroch Digital's pipeline of original IP. So, while this is a relatively small acquisition, it is a highly significant one for us strategically."

Earlier in 2021, Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent acquired Sumo Group for $1.3 billion.